Indonesia Rejects Bali 9 Prisoner Swap

Indonesia government officials rejected an Australian deal to trade three Indonesian convicts for the two Australians awaiting execution, Indonesia's MetroTV reported Thursday. Indonesia's deputy foreign minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir declined Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop's last attempt to prevent Indonesia from executing Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran on drug smuggling charges. Chan and Sukumaran were convicted of attempting to smuggle in heroin in 2005 as a part of the group known as the Bali Nine. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he requested a call with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to convince him to issue a stay of execution for the Australian natives. The execution date is expected to be announced in a few days, according to Tony Spontana, a spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general.